A California ride-share driver advocacy group filed a complaint Monday, April 20, 2026, in state court against Uber Technologies, Inc., alleging the company violated Proposition 22 and should be barred from classifying its drivers as independent contractors.

Rideshare Drivers United (RDU), a California nonprofit representing more than 20,000 app-based drivers in the state, claimed Uber breached the Protect App-Based Drivers and Services Act, as amended by 2020’s Proposition 22.

Allegations in the Complaint

The complaint alleges that Uber:

• Terminates drivers on grounds not specified in their contracts
• Fails to provide a meaningful appeals process for deactivated drivers
• Prohibits drivers from declining rides based on customer location or the presence of a service animal
• Withholds sufficient earnings information for drivers to verify they are receiving required compensation

Legal Argument and Requested Relief

RDU, represented by attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan of Lichten & Liss-Riordan, P.C., argues that because Uber has not complied with Proposition 22, the company cannot invoke its independent contractor protections.

The suit seeks a court declaration that Uber is disqualified from asserting its drivers are independent contractors. Such a ruling would expose Uber to misclassification claims under the California Labor Code.

Background on Proposition 22

Proposition 22 passed in November 2020 after a coalition of gig companies spent more than $220 million on the campaign. Uber alone spent more than $50 million supporting the measure.

The measure exempted app-based transportation and delivery companies from Assembly Bill 5, which had codified the state’s ABC test for employee classification.

The California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 22’s constitutionality in Castellanos v. State of California in July 2024.

Case Status

The case has no trial date. Uber has not publicly responded to the complaint.

Abidjan, Ivory Coast – Cocoa farmers across Ivory Coast, the world’s largest producer of the commodity, are calling for more consistent rainfall to improve the quality and size of beans in the ongoing mid-crop season running from March to August.

Although the West African nation is currently in its official rainy season (April to mid-November), rainfall was below average in most cocoa-growing regions last week.

Farmers say the drier conditions are not yet threatening the overall health of trees, which carry a good mix of small, medium, and large pods, but additional moisture is urgently needed to support bean development for the peak harvesting period between May and July.

In the west-central region of Daloa and central areas such as Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rainfall was significantly below the five-year average, farmers noted that the current heat is helping already-harvested beans dry well. However, they stressed that young and developing pods require steady rain.

“It’s very hot. The beans are well dried, but the trees need enough rain for the rest of the mid-crop season,” said Albert N’Zue, a farmer near Daloa, where only 9.7 mm of rain fell last week — 11.9 mm below average.

In contrast, the western region of Soubre and eastern region of Abengourou received above-average rainfall last week. Farmers in these areas, along with those in southern districts like Agboville and Divo (where rains were below average), stressed the need for abundant and regular precipitation.

“We need plenty of steady rain to grow large, high-quality beans,” said Kouassi Kouame, a farmer near Soubre, which recorded 28.6 mm of rain (6.2 mm above average).

Weekly average temperatures across the country ranged between 29°C and 33.2°C (84°F to 92°F). Farmers remain generally optimistic, noting that harvesting has started to pick up and that cloudy skies suggest more rain could arrive in the coming weeks.

Cocoa production in Ivory Coast is highly sensitive to weather patterns, and the mid-crop (also known as the “light crop”) typically accounts for 20–30% of the country’s annual output.

Stronger rainfall in the coming weeks will be critical for determining the final size and quality of this season’s beans, with potential implications for global cocoa supply and prices.

Abuja, Nigeria – The Nigerian government has introduced a sweeping import ban on 17 categories of goods from countries outside the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in a major policy shift designed to protect local industries and promote regional trade.

The prohibition, signed by Finance Minister Wale Edun and effective from April 1, 2026, forms part of Nigeria’s revised 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures and Tariff Amendments.

It specifically targets goods originating from non-ECOWAS nations while allowing freer trade within the West African bloc. A 90-day grace period has been granted to importers who had already opened Form ‘M’ and entered into irrevocable trade agreements before the effective date.

Affected Products

The revised import prohibition list includes the following key items:

Live or dead birds, including frozen poultry

Pork/beef and related meat products

Bird eggs (except hatching eggs for breeding/research)

Refined vegetable oil (with limited exceptions)

Cane or beet sugar and flavoured sucrose

Cocoa butter, powder and cakes

Tomatoes, tomato paste and concentrates

Sugary and flavoured non-alcoholic beverages

Bagged cement

Medicaments (pharmaceutical products) and waste pharmaceuticals

NPK fertilisers

Soaps and detergents

Corrugated paper, cartons and boxes

Certain hollow glass bottles

Flat-rolled iron or steel products (corrugated)

Ballpoint pens and refills

In addition, the government introduced a 2% “green tax” surcharge on motor vehicles with engine capacities between 2,000cc and 3,999cc, and those above 4,000cc.

Strategic Objectives

The measures are intended to boost domestic production, reduce reliance on foreign imports, conserve foreign exchange, and strengthen intra-African trade under the ECOWAS framework and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). By restricting imports from outside the region, Nigeria aims to create a larger market for locally manufactured goods and encourage investment in agriculture, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals.

The policy comes shortly after the government announced tariff reductions on certain items such as cars, palm oil, and sugar, signalling a calibrated approach to trade liberalisation within the region while protecting strategic sectors.

This latest fiscal intervention underscores Nigeria’s determination to reindustrialise its economy and reduce its historically high dependence on imported consumer goods.